Author Notes: When I was in school a few years ago, one of my favorite desserts we made that took me completely by surprise was a ricotta pie topped with a tangle of candied kumquats. It was that perfect balance of sweet and well, not so sweet, for me. So when I taught a crepe - making class last winter I decided to turn it into a crepe. It's since gone through a few different permutations, and this is my favorite. The kumquats are simmered in a mixture of Lillet, honey, agave nectar, cardamom seeds and cinnamon, and perfectly set off the crepe and its ricotta orange filling. Everything can be made in advance and assembled minutes before serving. But remember to interleave the crepes with wax paper or parchment so they don't stick together, and just reheat the Lillet Kumquat Sauce before spooning over the crepes. —TheWimpyVegetarian

Food52 Review: WHO: ChezSuzanne is based in the Bay Area and enjoys her "second career" as a cooking teacher after a lifelong love of cooking, growing, and eating food.
WHAT: Delicate crepes stuffed with ricotta cream and topped with a complex compote that's as easy as simmering with sliced kumquat.
HOW: The crepe batter is a breeze -- you just blend it! And there's no fussy plating, since ChezSuzanne has us simply fold the filling into packages before finishing with a drizzle of syrup.
WHY WE LOVE IT: The creamy ricotta-orange filling contrasts beautifully with the nutty crepes and the herbal notes of the Lillet-kumquat compote. Plus, you can cook everything ahead of time and assemble the pillows just before serving -- now that's smart. —The Editors

Makes 8 crepe shells; filling and compote for 4

Orange Crepes

1cup (4.5 ounces) all-purpose flour

1/4cup sugar

1pinch salt

1 large egg

3/4cup milk

1/3cup warm water

1teaspoon orange zest

1/4teaspoon vanilla extract

2tablespoons melted butter

Using either a blender or whisk, combine the flour, sugar and salt. Add the egg; if using a whisk, make a well and place the egg in it. Whisk the egg and flour mixture together.

Add half of the milk and mix / whisk until a thick batter forms. Add the remaining milk, the warm water, zest, and vanilla extract. Mix / whisk until the batter is completely smooth. Mix / whisk in the melted butter.

Remove from the refrigerator, and whisk the batter if it has separated. Heat a non-stick pan with sloping sides over medium heat. Coat the pan lightly with butter or with a paper towel dipped lightly in oil.

When the pan is hot, pour in a small amount of batter using a measuring cup or ladle. Use 1/8 cup of batter for a 6 - 7” pan or ¼ cup of batter for a 9 – 10” pan. Immediately start to tilt the pan to allow the batter to cover the bottom of the pan evenly in a thin layer.

Cook for about 1 minute, or until the crepe bottom turns a golden brown. Flip and cook for another 30 seconds, until the crepe is golden on the second side.

Remove the crepe from the pan to a plate. If stacking crepes for longer than an hour, interleave crepes with parchment or wax paper, slip into a ziplock and refrigerate. Crepes also freeze great!

Lay a crepe out and spoon 1 1/2 tablespoons Ricotta Filling into the middle, molding it into a flat square. Fold the right side of the crepe over the filling; fold the left side over the filling, laying it on top of the first side that was folded over. Fold up the bottom, and the top down, forming a little packet. Repeat for the rest. Place on plates and spoon the Lillet Kumquat Compote over the little crepe packets / pillows.

Take a sip of Lillet. And then another. And try to say Lillet Kumquat Compote fast 3 times in a row....Kidding :-) If you can do it even once, you're a better woman than I.

Ricotta Filling and Lillet Kumquat Compote

2/3cup ricotta cheese, well drained

1/4cup softened cream cheese or mascarpone cheese

1tablespoon agave nectar

1/8teaspoon vanilla extract

1pinch salt

Zest of half of an orange

2cups Lillet

2/3cup honey

2tablespoons agave nectar

2tablespoons candied ginger, minced

seeds from 6 cardamom pods, crushed with a mortar and pestle

1 cinnamon stick

1pinch salt

10ounces kumquats, thinly sliced and seeded

Make the Ricotta Filling: Combine the first 6 ingredients (through the orange zest) in a small bowl and mix well.

Make the Lillet Kumquat Compote: Combine the remaining ingredients except the kumquats together in a small saucepan, and bring to a simmer. Add the sliced kumquats and continue to simmer for 30 minutes, or until the kumquats are softened translucent.

Hello ! The recipe looks great. I was planning on preparing the crepes ahead of time and perhaps even freezing a couple. Do you think the ricotta filling will keep well in the fridge for upto a week or so ?

You do not. There are seeds, but once you slice the kumquats, just pop them out. In the case of a kumquat, it's just the opposite of an orange in that it's the peel that's sweet. The pulp of kumquats are very tart, so you definitely want the peel included.

I want to make this for Christmas, I think I got the "wrong" Lillet! They apparently make both red and white. For clarification, which did you use in this recipe? I might still have time to switch them :)

How funny, Jaynerly!! I'll bet it gave you pause when you read that ingredient. Clare-Louise Hamel, Lillet is a brand of French aperitif wine. It is a blend of 85% Bordeaux wines (Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon and Muscadelle for the Blanc; Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon for the Rouge) and 15% macerated liqueurs, mostly citrus liqueurs from the peels of sweet oranges from Spain and Morocco and the peels of bitter green oranges from Haiti. If you can't find it, any light white aperitif wine will work. You can use Sauvignon Blanc, but it won't have the complexity of Lillet. Hope that helps!!

I know kumquats aren't always readily available, even this time of year :-( I would go with clementines or other small mandarin orange. If you can't find them, I'd go with tangerines. With either option, I would remove the skin and chop up the fruit into small bite-sized pieces. I'd love to hear how that works for you!

I only had one cup of Lillet left in the pantry, so I added a cup of Patron Citronage Orange Liqueur. Fabulous! I couldn't find kumquats at my super-sized grocery store, so I used the pulp and zest of an orange. I love the cardamom and ginger additions to this recipe, too! Mom's birthday party isn't until 6:00 tonight; I'm hoping I can control myself so there' something left to serve my guests! Thanks for a fabulous recipe ChezSuzanne.

I'm thinking about making your recipe for a brunch I'm hosting this weekend. Any recommendations for a non-alcoholic substitution for the lillet -- or would too much be lost in the balance of the sauce? Lovely, lovely recipe, by the way!